So going along with the theme of this thread, when was the first use of subtitles? And how were they originally done? I can remember seeing foreign films in the 70’s that had them, but I’m sure they were around earlier than that. I don’t think they would have used computers.
Back when I was a kid, my school took a field trip to an old theater. They showed us some silent films and an organist played along. He was a guy who must have been in his mid-80s at least who was a real silent film organist back in the day. At the end he gave a little talk. I had forgotten about it until this thread but it occurs to me that I was one of the last people ever to have that experience from someone from back in the day.
It was mix-and-match. Important premieres had orchestras and full scores, and suggested piano scores were sometimes given to theaters. But you’re right in that improvised piano or organ was the norm.
Note that in the very early days of silents, the piano was used to entertain between films while people were changing reels. The films were completely silent. Eventually, someone got the idea to play music during the screenings themselves.